Ancora Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 25,140 EZCORP, Inc. $EZPW

Key Points

• Ancora Advisors LLC has acquired a new stake in EZCORP, buying 25,140 shares valued at approximately $370,000 during Q1, while other large investors have also increased their positions in the company.
• EZCORP reported earnings of $0.33 per share for the last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate of $0.23, and generated revenue of $310.98 million compared to an expected $302.25 million.
• Recent analyst ratings for EZCORP include a "strong-buy" from Wall Street Zen and a "buy" with a $25 price objective from Canaccord Genuity, indicating positive sentiment about the stock's future performance.

Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 25,140 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $370,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Teza Capital Management LLC grew its stake in EZCORP by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 14,425 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EZCORP by 60.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,062 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 1,906 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 18,874 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of EZCORP by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 80,099 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,179,000 after buying an additional 3,279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of EZCORP by 9.3% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 39,760 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $585,000 after buying an additional 3,393 shares during the period. 99.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

EZCORP Stock Performance

Shares of EZCORP stock traded up $0.20 on Thursday, reaching $16.99. 670,010 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 585,934. The company has a quick ratio of 5.00, a current ratio of 6.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. EZCORP, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.56 and a twelve month high of $17.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $15.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.59.

EZCORP (NASDAQ:EZPW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.10. EZCORP had a net margin of 7.96% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The company had revenue of $310.98 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.25 million. Analysts anticipate that EZCORP, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at EZCORP

In related news, Director Matthew W. Appel sold 9,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.03, for a total transaction of $153,270.00. Following the sale, the director owned 142,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,425,225.27. This trade represents a 5.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of EZCORP in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of EZCORP in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded EZCORP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of EZCORP in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $18.50.

EZCORP Profile

EZCORP, Inc provides pawn services in the United States and Latin America. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The company offers pawn loans collateralized by tangible personal property, jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments.